The Virginia General Assembly established the Virginia Cancer Registry (VCR) in 1990 (Code of Virginia §32.1-70). The law requires Virginia hospitals, clinics, independent pathology laboratories, and physicians who diagnose or treat cancer to report case information to VCR. The Virginia Board of Health defines reportable cancers, the information required in reports, and the structure and content of case data. The Board publishes cancer reporting regulations in its Regulations for Disease Reporting and Control.

Exclusions: EPs who do not diagnose or treat cancer patients may claim an exclusion from cancer reporting.

Inclusions: Only EPs who diagnose or treat cancer patients may choose the cancer reporting menu option for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. EPs who intend to transmit cancer data must use electronic health record (EHR) software that is certified for cancer reporting. Click this link: Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) to see the software certified for reporting cancer data to public health authorities. Hospitals, clinics, and independent pathology laboratories already report electronically, and use methods that EPs do not use.

Onboarding Process for Cancer Messages

To meet the Meaningful Use (MU) Stage 2 cancer reporting objective, Eligible Professionals (EP) must register and complete all steps in the on-boarding process. Providers registered in the VDH Meaningful Use Registration System will receive acknowledgement of the VDH MU status they have achieved at the end of their reporting period. Statuses include Registered, Invited to Onboard, Testing and Validation, and In Production.

VDH will provide an invitation indicating that the EP should begin the onboarding process. Your MU status will be “Invited to Onboard” and once you begin to submit messages it will change to “Testing and Validation.”

Frequently Asked Questions

They are available through the CDC. The Implementation Guide for Ambulatory Healthcare Provider Reporting to Central Cancer Registries HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) Release 1.0 is available by download from the CDC.

Can I use public health messages to communicate directly with patients?

Cancer reporting is restricted to communicating information directly between Eligible Professionals (EP) and public health entities only. Providers cannot use the VDH messaging system to communicate with patients. VDH cannot use the system to communicate with patients.

Are pharmacies that dispense cancer medicines included?

No, Virginia law and regulation requires only Eligible Professionals who diagnose or treat cancer patients to provide reports to the health department.

Can I claim an exclusion from cancer reporting if I neither diagnose nor treat cancer?

Yes, you may claim this exclusion if you are an eligible professional but do not diagnose or treat cancer.

How do I find out if our EHR system meets cancer reporting certification requirements?